At the three quarters marker of the overall season, this would normally be the point where shows start ramping up towards their final acts, and setting the pieces in place for whatever confrontation is likely to dominate their last couple episodes. However, with two of my shows continuing into winter and Tsurune so delayed in its broadcast, this turned out to mostly be just another week, as shows like Run with the Wind and JoJo turned in relatively workmanly episodes, and only Gridman truly swung for the fences. In truth, the big story this week was probably my continued efforts to catch up on Bloom Into You. I enjoyed the show’s first episode, but fell off it due to a combination of my already-full schedule and the fact that Bloom Into You wasn’t on Crunchyroll. That’s turned out to be a big mistake; four episodes in, Bloom Into You is already shaping up to be one of the best character dramas of the year, and a strong contender for my end-of-year list. It won’t make it on that list without a fight though, so let’s take a moment and see how all of its seasonal compatriots are holding together. It’s time to run down the Week in Review!
This week’s Run with the Wind continued to push a number of this ensemble production’s players along while also serving as a key turning point for our main lead, the sullen Kakeru. After reminding us of Kakeru’s stark pronouncement to Prince from last week, this episode’s first segment leaned on Run with the Wind’s comedy and slice of life appeal to reassure us that both Nico and Prince aren’t truly doomed, and that commitment to Haiji’s plan is actually working. Of course, the two of them were still in no shape to even attempt an official record, and so it also made sense that Haiji only chose those on the cusp of success to actually run in the second meet.
That meet served as Kakeru’s second major turning point, following on his initial commitment to run in the first place. While Kakeru had rediscovered his passion for running, that passion was still a very solitary thing; but forced to watch his teammates from the sideline, Kakeru was at last able to see the genuine effort they’re putting in, and feel invested in a victory larger than himself. Haiji is one of those rare coach-masterminds whose ploys actually all feel as clever as the show frames them – I could completely believe that focusing this meet on the members of the team on the edge of qualification would inspire all the rest of them, and make them see their victories as a shared triumph. “Self-focused athlete learns the joy of teamwork” is a sports staple as familiar as they come, but Run with the Wind is consistently selling its personal journeys as not just expected narrative beats, but genuine, earned growth.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure had a pretty serious lull episode this week, and spent the majority of its running time simply rolling through exposition as we introduced Trish and were informed of Bucciaratti’s next task. I mentioned last week how Golden Wind seems to be at its best when it’s focusing on tense investigations that make strong use of its versatile Stands; in contrast, this week’s episode seemed to highlight several of Golden Wind’s weakest elements.
First off, while the show’s art style is very good at elevating body horror through its queasily precise detail work, more mundane scenes of characters simply talking are just not that attractive. Diamond is Unbreakable built up an aesthetic that made even its passive scenes feel both attractive and naturally unsettling, but Golden Wind’s more traditional backgrounds and highly detailed, shadow-decked characters are far less compelling in the abstract. Similarly, Golden Wind’s gallery of rogues don’t really feel all that likable as a group yet; in contrast with Diamond is Unbreakable’s genuinely convincing friendships, these guys all tend to squabble with each other in a manner more like Stardust Crusader’s less compelling leads. This has been a very strong season of JoJo so far, but all stylistic choices come with their pluses and minuses, and this seemed like a pretty clear illustration of Golden Wind’s tradeoffs.
While JoJo was cooling off with a transition episode, SSSS.Gridman soared with what was undoubtedly one of its most dramatically engaging and visually arresting episodes yet. Akane’s bid to defeat her “enemies” by granting them space in her own dream was consistently unnerving and beautifully realized, full of gorgeous shots both in Akane’s private paradise and the overcast real world. Even in a show that’s generally very smart about its visual storytelling, the shot compositions felt even more purposeful and beautiful this week, leaning into Gridman’s general language of alienation while naturally illustrating Akane’s vulnerability and loneliness. There was a natural payoff in seeing how Akane might attempt to revise meeting all our leads in order to better cling to their affection, and an inherent sense of distance and melancholy in this world where no one is allowed to have friendships with anyone but her. From its striking compositions and use of color (I particularly liked how Akane and Yuta’s date scenes embraced the bright primary colors this show generally reserves for Gridman fights) to its wild animations and strong sense of tone, this episode of Gridman was a thrilling reward unto itself.
After last week’s terrific episode of Tsurune, this latest episode pretty much kept the streak going, offering a very satisfying introduction to the team’s first tournament. It’s actually kinda interesting at this point to compare how Run with the Wind and Tsurune are each handling their character development, given their relative similarities as fellow low-key sports dramas. Tsurune’s characters are obviously less mature than Wind’s, given their age, but Tsurune has been far more efficient in terms of bring its group together – it’s about a crew who nearly all actively wanted to commit to archery from the start, so there wasn’t too much initial drama. Because of this, while Tsurune initially started off with an antagonistic group dynamic, they’ve actually become a supportive and fully characterized group of friends in far shorter time than Run with the Wind. And with all their initial relationship drama handled, Tsurune’s characters are able to be further fleshed out through much subtler emotional strokes, making the show overall come across as a far more confident production. The light rivalry here between our leads and the rival school felt totally convincing (I was extremely relieved that Shu turned out to be a very reasonable guy), and the twins were well-used as a device to provoke the relatively subdued rest of the cast. Overall, it feels like Tsurune has finally come into its own at this point, with the steady character work of its first half now blooming into a cast well worth rooting for.
Thunderbolt Fantasy made an unexpected dip into passionate romance this week, detailing the torrid love affair between our killer monk and the Seven Blasphemous Deaths. A good half of this episode felt like the two of them shamelessly flirting with each other, as Xi Kong pledged his undying love and his beloved sword lightly teased him. The danger of Xi Kong’s simultaneous total amorality and desperate need for a purpose has basically been a lit fuse burning all season, thus making his embrace of this new cause a natural character payoff beyond its clear appeal in terms of spectacle and humor. Meanwhile, the Enigmatic Gale’s ruse regarding Xiao’s glasses immediately made sense of their alliance from last episode – Xie just needed a way to simultaneously destroy Xiao’s reputation both here and across the Wasteland of Spirits, and swapping the smuggled cargo was a very convenient way to do that. With both our villains currently hopped up on either bloodlust or betrayal, the pieces are coming together for a thoroughly spectacular final act.
